Snickerdoodles

The origin of the term 'snickerdoodle' is in dispute; most theories agree that it is merely a whimsical name, originating in early New England cookie baking, though some sources suggest the word derives from German. Either way, the difference between a snickerdoodle and a sugar cookie is the inclusion of cinnamon! So the next time someone asks you, you're armed with the answer.

To make these little cookies vegan takes a few changes, but for the most part I adhered to the original recipe.

Lightly spoon 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour in a bowl with 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar; set aside.

Cream of tartar, I always want to point out, contains no cream whatsoever; it is obtained when the tartaric acid in grapes is combined with potassium hydroxide, which is just a fancy way of saying it is an acidic salt, and 100% vegan.

In a bowl or stand mixer, combine 1 cup raw sugar and 1/4 cup vegan butter (such as Earth Balance). Beat until well blended, either with your stand mixer, or a hand beater if you don't have the former.

Add 1 tablespoon corn syrup (I like Wholesome Sweeteners), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the equivalent of 1 egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G); beat well. Gradually add in the flour mixture, and beat just until combined. At the end, I stirred in an extra tablespoon of water; recognizing that my dough looked a bit too crumbly (a factor I've encountered before in vegan cookie making) I decided to head the problem off with this addition. Cover and chill the dough for 10 minutes.

While the dough chills, combine 3 tablespoons raw sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl.

Using moist hands (and you'll want to re-wet them several times as you work) form the dough into 42 very small balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar, then place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Don't overcrowd the baking sheets, since the cookies will spread as they cook - I put about 10 per sheet, and baked in two batches, since I only have 2 cookie sheets.

The original recipe said to flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass, but whether my dough was sticker because it was vegan or because it had been at room temperature too long, I found it easier to flatten them with moistened fingers.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand on the baking sheets for 2 minutes (they'll go from very soft to nice and crisp in those two minutes!)

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. One cookie is 60 calories.

Cost:
all-purpose flour $3.99
corn syrup $6.99